There are cars shows, and then there is the Mid America Ford & Shelby Nationals. Quite possibly the largest Ford-only event in the country, this was the 39th year that Jim Wicks and his dedicated team of hard working volunteers put on their amazing celebration. It is hard to believe that this all began as just a small picnic meant to gather friends who all loved Mustangs & Shelbys. Now there is drag racing, road racing, a cruise-in, a car show, and a banquet. Every moment of the event is jam packed with something to do. This year was no different and for once the weather cooperated...somewhat. While temperatures were milder than the usual scorching heat, rain set in on Saturday and put a temporary halt to the racing. By Sunday though the sun was bright and the skies were blue!

What would an all Ford show be without the presence of Ford itself? On hand for the weekend was Ford's newly minted Marketing Manager of Enthusiast Events Paul Brearey. We asked Paul how Ford justifies being so involved in enthusiast events around the country. He replied "Even if we had zero proof this works, and even if we couldn't prove that racing made any sense from a customer standpoint, you would still find people like myself and my boss out here because we love it. The auto business is full of car people, but I've never seen any company on earth with as many car freaks as Ford Motor Company." Paul then proved his point by attending the Ford Racing Performance Driving School at Hallett Racing Circuit, as well as every single event over the weekend. This year in addition to the cool performance cars that they normally bring, there was a Ford Ride & Drive event at the host hotel. Attendees had a chance to drive almost every vehicle in the Ford product line on a short street course. This turned out to be a great way to get behind the wheel without a sales person breathing down your neck.

Also on board was Shelby American, Inc. and their rolling horsepower show of amazing vehicles. In addition to the insane Shelby 1000, GT350, and GT500 SuperSnake, there was the new Shelby Focus and the Shelby Raptor. While it is not the first time that the Shelby brand has ventured into the hot hatch or pickup scene, it is nice to see the company stretch its creative legs and have some fun outside of the Mustang world. Seeing Shelby President John Luft and Vice President Gary Patterson walking around talking to fans was a great reminder that horsepower brings everyone together.

This is such a big event that it is hard capture it all, but we tried as best we could. Click the links below and dive right into hundreds of photos!